Happy middle of the week, friends! Thanks goodness we're at the halfway point! I dunno about you all, but I could use a 3-day weekend something fierce!

But, in the meantime, I'm linking up with Jamie at this kind of love for What I'm Loving Wednesday

I'm loving the weather since the hurricane. Gooooooooness, it has been absolutely beautiful! Do I have to wear a light sweater in the mornings? Yes. Do I care? No, because when I leave work in the afternoon (after being stuck inside all day), it is heavenly out. It's like someone took out all of the humidity and left a little bit of warmth and I am in heaven!

I'm loving that there is a 3-day weekend coming up. I've been back at school for something like 6 or 7 weeks now, 4 or 5 of those with children. Crazy children. And I could use a break from the chaos that is work. An extra day to be lazy, do whatever I want, get some sun (hopefully), and be a bum!

I'm loving that I'm hopefully going to be visiting my buddy Genna in VA Beach this weekend....Though, in order for that to happen, girl's gonna need to call me back (Genna, CALL ME!!! lol). The weather is supposed to continue to be nice this weekend, and it is a welcome change after the hurricane stuff this past weekend.

I'm loving that I bit the bullet and bought the sewing machine I had talked about earlier this week. I'm excited to try something new and potentially start a new hobby. This year at work is already stressful and I am becoming more and more aware that I need some other hobbies to do something productive with (sitting on the couch every evening just isn't cutting it anymore I suppose). It should be coming next week sometime, and I'm excited to start trying it all out! I'm also kind of loving how ridiculously child-like and girly the machine is. Altho, when if I mess up, I might feel like an even bigger idiot given the same parameters! :)

I'm also loving that it's time for Oh, How Pinteresting! with Michelle at The Vintage Apple! I have been finding all kinds of goodies on Pinterest this past week. Some pics, some quotes, some yummy looking food. So, let's get started with the sharing!

I'm participating, for the first time in Teaser Tuesday with Should be Reading. Here's how it works:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My current read is Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

"The driver locked up the brakes and the truck slid to a stop amid the deafening cacophony of dozens of AK-47's firing on full automatic. Khan unwrapped Mortenson's blindfold and squeezed him to his chest."

and

"Mortenson still didn't believe him, but the first handful of rupees helped to convince him his ordeal was finally over."

I'm hoping this doesn't ruin the book, because I turned to a page I haven't even gotten to yet! haha.

Happy Monday, y'all! I hope everyone in the path of hurricane destruction fared well and made it through unscathed! It's time to get into some miscellaneous stuff, since it's Monday, and I am lucky I remember how to type, let alone make a coherent post! :)

I survived the hurricane. My roommate's sister lives in the area, and apparently they decided that she was going to spend the weekend at our apartment. When did I find this out? Friday night when both of them arrived at the apartment, and an air mattress was dumped into the living room. When I got up to shower for the night, I lost all control of the living room (and apparently any right to be in there) because it was then taken over with comforters, pillows and snack foods, along with their bodies sprawled out across my couches. So....there went any chance of me catching up on DVR (until yesterday morning). Or being outside of my room. Not super happy with how inconsiderate it was (and the fact that I wasn't even given a heads up). And, since I hate confrontation, I'm not really sure how to bring it up to her.

Oh yes, that IS a Hello Kitty machine....Don't judge me.

I've decided that I want to learn how to sew. This has been something that I've wanted to learn for a long time. When I was younger and got a hole in something, my mom always knew how to patch it up or fix it. I feel bad for my future children because I am incredibly inept at this type of thing. So, I figured what the heck? I think I found the perfect machine to start off, and thanks to Pinterest, I am even more motivated to try a couple of projects. I haven't ordered the sewing machine yet, but I am thinking I might do that this week.

Random hottie I met at my friend's bachelorette party last weekend has continued to text me, and this weekend he called me several times. I really enjoyed talking to him. Figures the dude is in California. Which makes it insanely hard to have make out sessions. Dang it. But, I can continue to look at his hotness. And drool.

I went out on a date with a guy from match last night. He was nice and we had a really good time. He is leaving for a week to Germany (he's taking his dad for his birthday--how sweet?) but we made plans to hang out on Wednesday when he gets back which I'm looking forward to. I have some details to share about this date, but I am debating if I should share yet or not. So I think I'll hold off (don't worry, it's nothing dirty).

And now, it's back to work, because no damage was done to the school building (is it bad that I'm a little bummed about that part?). Off to educate some kiddos! Hope you all have great starts to the week!

Happy Friday, all! The weekend could not come soon enough for me, however it looks like it is going to be a wet, and potentially dangerous weekend. Hopefully it's just the rain, which means I will totally NOT feet guilty about sitting around my apartment in my PJ's watching tv, reading and surfing the internet all day! hehe.

This girl was stupid enough NOT to go to the grocery store as planned yesterday and therefore will probably have to face the onslaught of freaked out people loading up on supplies. I just need milk. And maybe some eggs. Not bracing for the end of the world, altho given the events of this week, perhaps I should be!

Anyway, since it's Friday, I'm linking up with Crazy for Books for her weekly Book Blogger Hop.

Except THIS week, it has nothing to do with books haha.

“Non-book-related this week!! Do you have pets?”

Yes, I have a pet and his name is Cooper. I actually had two posts yesterday in which he was mentioned. He is a miniature poodle, who is about one month away from being 3. He is a fluffy, loving, super friendly dog. He is one of the dogs that people meet and 9 times out of 10 they are like "He is SOOOO friendly." My dog loves animals, adults, kids....if it moves, Cooper likes it! The only thing dangerous about my pup is that he LOVES to lick. I don't get it. It's annoying. But, I love him to pieces!!!

When Coop was just a little pup!

Cooper on his 2nd birthday, all fluffy and cute!

Head on over to Crazy for Books and link up! (Esp if you are just crazy for your pet!) hehe

Perhaps I should have invested in one of these for Cooper given the upcoming hurricane coming:

This is my second post for the day, but I just came across this article on Yahoo.

Earlier this year my mom had sent me this site also, which touched me beyond belief.

I have always been amazed at the bond between animals and humans. It's one of those things that you don't understand until you have one of your own. Probably similarly to being a parent, but I can't comment on that at this point in my life.

I have a dog, Cooper. I've posted about him on here a few times. He's a cute and cuddly, super friendly, happy-go-lucky miniature poodle (altho everyone asks me if he is a maltese or a bichon). After having him, I can't imagine my life without him. Sometimes it has popped in my head how I would feel if he wasn't here anymore and I can't even bear the thought of it.

The articles above just shows what a truly special bond there can be between an animal and a human.

So, if you have a pet, make sure to give them an extra squeezy poo and let them know just how much they mean to you! They definitely understand.

...to be a little bummed that the earthquake wrecked my date plans with a cute guy from Match on Wednesday (NOT one of the 40 year olds or douchey guys I posted about here)--we are meeting up later this weekend though...

...to realize that you haven't been to the gym in a week, and that the last time you went was the only time for THAT week....oops...

...to want a fairy tale romance...

...to be stupid excited to see one of your besties in a week, hopefully (Miss you, Genna!!!)...

...to be completely frustrated with your job, and consistently be thinking of a location or career change...

...to get small joys out of hugs from the little people in my building (3rd graders)....

....to wish that surfing Pinterest all day long was a viable option for a career....

...to listen to what others' opinions are, and then do whatever it is that you want, even if it's not the smartest decision....

...to giggle when a 3rd grader says a picture of a cookie that he had to color "looks like pooooop" (with that actual emphasis)...

...to want to spend all day in bed, snuggling with my cute and cuddly puppy, Cooper...

I'm loving that, despite the random earthquake on the East Coast, that everyone and everything seems to be ok in most areas! It was kind of freaky, especially being at school, with children, and in the middle of teaching kids how to say "s" haha. But, we all made it out ok, and have an interesting story to share!

I'm loving that this weekend I got to celebrate my friend Emily's Bachelorette party with her. I am also loving that along that journey we ran into a group of guys, which contained a super hottie, who ended up talking to me and asking for my number. Don't love that he lives in Cali. Buuuut he was nice to look at. And has been texting me since Saturday night. Not too shabby!
(Emily with the boys! Hottie is on the right)

I'm loving that I finished the Hunger Games series this weekend. The books were soooo good, and now I am kind of disappointed in the book I'm currently reading (it's not non-fiction, and isn't moving at a quick pace like the other books). But, alas, I need to move on and meet new book characters. Just like I'm out in the real world meeting boys on match haha.

I'm loving that the weather has been insanely gorgeous the past few days! The humidity is almost nothing (and if it IS there, I can't tell, and neither can my hair), and it has been in the mid to upper 80's. My recipe for a perfect day. I'm SUPER glad the weather was nice yesterday when we had kids at a local playground waiting for parents to come get students. I just love sunshine, and not sweating terribly! I'm hoping this hurricane deal doesn't mess with that, but given that we have had an earthquake, are expecting a hurricane now, I am just gonna sit back and wait for the zombies to invade followed by the apocalypse! :) In the meantime I will enjoy this fine weather! :)

Yes...we just had an Earthquake here in DC....
I was just with kids, and the floor shook a little. Thought kids were in the hallway jumping around, and then EVERYTHING in my office shook.
Ran the kids to the doorway and everyone in the hallway was mouth-open going "was that an earthquake?"

I heart Ryan Gosling. I think he's hot, adorable, etc etc etc. I think, like most girls, after seeing him in The Notebook, I was swooning and have been ever since. Well, my love for him went to another level when I saw this today. He totally stopped a fight. With his nice muscular arms. I am thinking I may need to make my way to New York, get angry about something and have to have him wrap his big muscly arms around me to "calm me down." He's aaaaaadorable! I'll even forgive his slightly awkwardly feminine tank top.

On to our next tidbit of randomness: The Bachelorpad. Oh-Em-Geeeee, I can't stand Vienna and Kasey (but moreso Vienna). Why does this guy have to bust out into "song" all the time? And his "song" isn't more than him just singing what he would say. No rhyme, no actual tune. It caused my roommate and I to YouTube his previous awkward moment of singing with Ally. What a weirdo. And then there's Vienna. Ugh. I can't even sum up how much UGH I feel towards her.

And then there's Michael Stagliano. Swwwwwooooon.

In his dark purple man-kini. This is what won him the competition. The flying "hi" with the crotch grab. He's a character and I adore him. If Holly doesn't get her ISH together, I will come in and scoop him up!

And just for funny-sake, look at Jake's face here:

Seems about right.

Ok, I think that's all I have time for, at least for right now. I hope you enjoyed!
Back to the daily grind that is my life! :)

Happy Monday, folks! It's that time of week where you are fresh from the weekend (in my case, always feeling too short) and tackling another work week!

My friend, Emily, had her bachelorette party this weekend in DC and boy was it a good time. But I am feeling kind of like this after the festivities:

I will do another post on the Bachelorette-ness, but I don't have the pics uploaded onto my computer yet. That might have something to do with the fact that I spent all day most of the day in the fetal position recovering from said partying.

In the meantime, here are some Monday randoms for you.

1. I love string cheese. Dear God, it is incredible. I love cheese in general (I may have been a mouse in a previous life, I love it so much). At my school, string cheese is one of the snacks they have on hand for kids. This has made me CRAVE string cheese, and I have gone to the grocery store and purchased massive packs of it. It disappears pretty fast. Mmmmm. I brought four in today. I'll be happy if they make it through Tuesday.

2. Let's talk Match.com. And let's talk about all the sketchball 40+ year olds who write me, despite my age window clearly ending at 33. Ew. I'll get "I know I'm out of your age range, but I thought I would try anyway" or "I just wanted to write such a pretty girl and wish her luck on her search"...the underlying tone of that is still the same blatant message as the first ("...and see if you might respond"). Goo. No thank you. No no no. On the other hand, there are some good looking guys on there, but their profiles are always like two sentences long. Call me crazy, but I don't believe that you are here looking for Ms. Right when all you can post is two things including how you love to hang out with your friends and have fun. Duh. Who doesn't do that?

3. Pinterest. Holy balls. I have loved this site, but I am still amazed at how it continuously does NOT disappoint as a time waster. I find myself on it when I have a free minute or two at work, and always end up drooling over yummy looking food that I just want to eat then. Which is usually when I head over to the mini fridge in my office and eat some string cheese. Dang I need to hit the gym. And hire someone to be my personal assistant and make me all of the recipes that I drool over. If only a teacher's salary paid well...

4. Hunger Games trilogy. I just finished the last book in the series yesterday. Man, were they good. I'm a little sad, like I always am, when I'm done with a book that I've become invested in the characters. But, it was a great read. Super easy but really sucks you in. If you haven't tried it, do it. I don't think you will be disappointed, at all! Next on my to read list: Three Cups of Tea.

Alright, this chick needs to get back to work. I hope you enjoyed my totally random post about absolutely nothing of real relevance. But, isn't that what Mondays are for?? :)

This week I'm linking up for the first time to the Book Blogger Hop over at Crazy for Books!

This week's question is: “What’s the LONGEST book you’ve ever read?”

The longest book that I've read is probably World without End or Pillars of the Earth (I cant remember which of the two was longest). They were both SUCH good books. They were over 1,000 pages, and took a bit to read, but it also lent itself to developing the characters and REALLY becoming invested in them, their lives, and their struggles. You were that much more into the events, and wanting things to go well for the characters! I loved these two books!